For the first week after he'd kidnapped her, Loki kept Jane in the deep bowels of a cave. Rock all around her, and sand under her feet made up her prison. He supplied her with what she needed – food and drink – and left her a few books, some blankets and even saw that she had a private area to see to her bodily needs. He left fresh water for her every morning with fluffy towels so that she might wash herself, and even left her fresh undergarments and dresses to wear every day. He gave her a large enough space to roam about, but made sure she couldn't escape by enabling a barrier of green and white light. When she touched the barrier on the first day, she was rewarded with a zap that brought her to her knees.

For three days she didn't see him at all.

Finally, he showed himself just before she lost her mind.

"Hello, Jane," he said, as if this sort of thing was normal – kidnapping his brother's…significant other? Girlfriend? She wasn't sure what they called dating on Asgard.

"What the hell are you doing, Loki!" she shouted at him. "Why am I in here? Why did you kidnap me? Let me out!"

He looked almost…hurt. How crazy did you have to be to feel hurt that someone didn't appreciate being kidnapped and held prisoner? In a fucking cave, no less.

He didn't answer her. He just simply dematerialized in front of her. Jane screamed her head off for a good hour, railing all sorts of colorful epitaphs at him and hoping he could hear.

At the end of the week, Jane was just tired. She no longer tried to figure out how to get free. What was the point? She no longer screamed or cried. She just sat there wondering how her life choices had led her to this. To being held captive by a crazy God. She thought of Thor, how he'd taken to visiting her frequently on Earth and she'd even had a few trips up to Asgard. Jane was certain Thor was going to ask her to marry him soon, and now he was going to have to rescue her from the brother she should have clearly never been nice to.

"Hello, Jane."

She looked up at him, letting the sand she'd held in her hand dribble out of her fingers. "Hello, Loki."

He passed through the barrier of her prison and stood before her. "You've stopped shouting. How do you fare?"

"It appears that I've given up," she said. "Does that please you?"

"My presence agitated you. I only wished to calm you, not take the fire right out of you. It is the fire I most love."

She ignored his comment for she didn't understand it. In Jane's mind Loki didn't know how to love – well, except for his mother – so, she discarded the comment easily. It held no meaning and no weight to her. "You wished to calm me? You thought it was you that agitated me?" Her temper rose. "How about the fact that you kidnapped me and trapped me in some fucking cave in God knows where? How about that is what agitated me, you horse's ass."

He had the audacity to smile then. "There it is. There's that fire."

She climbed to her feet and slapped him across the face. She didn't care that he could smite her with the wave of his hand. She was angry. "I hate you," she seethed and went to hit him again. He grabbed her wrist this time, stopping her. Now he looked pissed. "Don't you ever tell me that you hate me again," he told her. "Ever."

Jane, to her horror, burst into tears. "Why are you doing this, Loki? I have been nothing but nice to you!"

His gaze softened and he nodded. "Yes, you have been."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again.

"I have my reasons."

"What are they? Tell me so I can understand!"

He reached for her and she flinched away. "No, no, Jane, don't be afraid…" he all but cooed. "Sweet Jane, look at me…"

She looked at him and he swept a gentle hand down her face and then pushed some hair back, he looked at her as though he adored her. "There," he murmured. "That's better." He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

"Loki, please," she implored him gently and placed her hands on his chest. "Why are you doing this? Thor will come—"

His demeanor changed in an instant. Fury marked his face and his entire body went rigid. "Do not speak his name!" he shouted at her. And then he disappeared again.

He came back the next day looking contrite. If ever there were two things that didn't go together, it was "Loki" and "contrite". "I'm sorry," he whispered to her as he sank down beside her on the sand. "I'm sorry."

"For what exactly?" she asked.

"For yelling at you as I did. I just don't want to hear his name pass through your lips ever again."

She looked at him incredulously. "Why?"

He looked startled. "You don't know? You haven't figured it out?"

Was he nuts? Wait, yes. Yes, he was. "No."

"I love you, Jane. I have since you slapped for what I did in your little Midgard town."

She gaped at him. "What?"

"I love you," he said again, this time with a boyish smile. He took her limp hands in his and kissed her knuckles. "And I mean to make you mine. But first, I had to get you away from all the noise."

The noise, no doubt, being Thor. How demented did one have to be to think that kidnapping a person was a form of courtship? If he was on Earth, no doubt Loki would have a restraining order slapped on him…that he would then break and be arrested for.

"Loki, this is – how did – when – I don't –"

"Jane Foster at a loss for words?" Loki laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Loki, you can't keep someone prisoner and then expect them to reciprocate your feelings. That's not how it works."

He smiled. "I don't plan on keeping you prisoner forever, Jane. Just long enough for you to fall in love with me."

Stockholm Syndrome. He planned on her developing Stockholm Syndrome. Just perfect.

He pulled her to her feet. "Perhaps though, you are ready now to leave this cave?"

She nodded eagerly and he smiled at her and, keeping one hand around hers, tugged her with him. The shield dissolved in a burst of light and he pulled her further and further through the cave until she saw light. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed the sun and fresh air until she was so close to it. She broke free of Loki and ran to it, suddenly feeling as though she could not breathe at all.

"Jane!" Loki called out, sounding frantic. "Be careful, it is rocky."

She barely heeded his warning until she tripped over a rock and fell down. She looked up to find the ocean. The glorious blue-green ocean licking at the shore before her. Then she felt herself being lifted and turned over. Loki pushed up her skirts and she pushed at him. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"I'm attempting to see if you hurt yourself," he told her with a glare and pushed her skirts up again. Only to above her knee.

Jane could only stare at him in disbelief as he ran his fingers over her knees and down her leg, twisting her leg this way and that to see if she'd hurt herself. He found a small scrape on her calf and with a flash of green light it was gone.

Jane had never seen Loki worry over anyone but his mother (Asgardians even had days when they didn't feel right), and he never doted on anyone but Frigga. But now he was doting on her and worrying over her. This was odd on several levels, and the irony was not lost on Jane. He was concerned for her well-being after he'd kidnapped her.

He pulled her skirts down and looked up at her. "All right?"

She nodded and looked around them. "Where are we?" she asked softly.

"Alfheim."

"Aren't there…beings around here?"

"The light elves. Yes, but this is an area not often trod upon. We are secluded here."

She had no doubt that Loki would see to their seclusion.

She pushed off her shoes with her feet and stood. She made for the water and let the water lap at her feet. She squinted up at the, well, it was some sort of sun, and then closed her eyes. A gentle breeze wafted over her and she inhaled deeply.

"Is this better, my Jane?" Loki asked softly.

"Yes," she said with a sigh. "Better than the cave." She wanted to tell him that this was still terrible and wrong and she wanted to go back to Asgard or Midgard. She wanted to not be here at all. Something told her not to say that aloud though.

"There is a hot spring I can take you to so that you may bathe if you'd like," he told her.

"Yes, please," she said and looked at him.

He pulled her into his arms and she held herself stiffly there. His brow furrowed. "Jane, I will not harm you, my love. Please, relax your body."

She forced herself to relax. "You took me by surprise is all," she said. He lifted his hand and she covered it with her own. "Please don't use your magic to get us there, Loki. I've been trapped inside a cave for a week. I want to walk."

"It is steep in places and very rocky, Jane. I do not wish you to hurt yourself."

"I won't. You'll be with me. Please, Loki, I need to get some real exercise."

He sighed and then nodded. "Very well then."

Jane realized that some parts of the Nine Realms were a bit like Earth. This spot in Alfheim was like being in the mountains, or on an island far away from civilization. Loki led the way to the spring and it was like climbing a mountain in some parts. He helped her navigate through the most difficult parts by either being right in front of her to take her hands or behind her to push her up. He was so cautious with her that it kind of freaked her out. She wasn't used to this treatment, not even from Thor. Certainly not from any boyfriends she'd had in the past either.

"I'm not made of glass, Loki," she told him at one point.

"You are mortal and that's close enough," he replied.

When they got to the spring, Jane was dazzled by its beauty. The water was practically clear and there was a small waterfall feeding the water into it. She could not make out where it traveled to, but at the moment she didn't care. She just wanted to get into it. She looked at him. "Will you turn around so I can undress?"

He rolled his eyes at that, but did so and she hurriedly undressed and then slipped into the water. She could not help the half moan half sigh that escaped. When she looked up she found Loki looking down at her and smiling. "Is that better?"

"Yes," she murmured and ducked under the water.

When she broke the surface and cleared water from her eyes, she found Loki was in with her as well. How had he done that so – oh, of course. Magic.

Jane refused to look down and refused to think about the fact that he could probably see every part of her. She pretended that he saw nothing, though the heated look on his face told her otherwise.

She treaded water away from him, but kept her gaze on him. "When did this happen, Loki?"

"When did what happen, love?"

"This, uh, love you say you feel for me."

"I told you when."

She sighed. "How do you know it's love and not just…lust? Or the fact that no one has ever smacked you like you deserve before?"

He laughed deeply. "There is certainly lust, Jane. I do desire you greatly. More than anyone before. I was certain I was going to hate you. I was in fact determined to do so even before I met you. But when I saw you…all that fire you have…it matches my own."

"You loathe mortals."

"It appears that I don't loathe one in particular. As we grew to know each other, Jane, I saw in you the same hunger for knowledge, the same passion for learning that I have always had. You need someone that will honor that. That will learn with you, seek with you, and also teach you what they know. You also need someone you can unleash all that fire with. Someone that will argue with you and challenge you when you feel the need for it."

"And you think that's you?"

"I know it is. He would have bored you in time."

There was no doubt who "He" was.

"You don't think this is a little extreme? You could have just…I don't know, talked to me about it?"

He barked out a laugh. "So you could run to him and tell him that I covet you?"

"How is this better, Loki?"

"Because this affords us time to get to know each other better. For you to know me and fall in love with me. And when the time comes that we return to Asgard you will not let him harm me."

It amazed Jane how confident he seemed in that. How sure. She turned away from him and ducked under the water. The look in his eyes unnerved her.

xxxxxxx

At night he did not trust in her enough to not escape, so he put up a shield and stuck her back in the cave. He slept with her now though. On the first night after they'd settled onto the makeshift bed made out of blankets and pillows, Loki had slept beside her. She had laid there and watched him for a long time before succumbing to sleep. She could not wrap her mind around this at all.

When she'd awakened she found them on a bed, a real bed. Loki smiled when she looked at him in wonder. "I apologize for not seeing to getting you a bed sooner," he told her. "I thought the sand soft enough."

She rolled her eyes. "One night on the sand and the Prince manifests a bed. Why am I not surprised?"

He laughed and materialized a plate of exotic fruits and two goblets filled with some kind of nectar. Jane ate and drank hungrily and then they emerged from the cave to spend the day outdoors.

Jane wanted to explore and so every day Loki would take her on a new path and help her along the way. If she slipped and fell he was right there to inspect her for injuries and soothe any scrapes or bruises. Jane was no closer to figuring out a means of escape, and as the days wore on she abandoned the idea. The only way to get back to where she needed to be was to fall in love with Loki.

Even if she had to fake it.

One night as they sat outside before a roaring fire, Jane looked at him across from her and found Loki watching her. This was not uncommon. Often she found him just staring at her even when she was doing nothing at all. She hadn't quite gotten used to the tenderness in his eyes as he looked at her though. It still caused her to squirm.

"Loki," she said.

"Yes, darling?"

"On Earth there are certain…things that people must do to find out if they are compatible."

"Such as?"

"Kiss."

He looked stunned by that. "Kiss."

"Yes. How do you know that we are even compatible if we don't kiss? You could feel absolutely nothing if you do and decide that all this was for nothing."

He chuckled. "I highly doubt that. You already seek me in our bed. Your body leans into mine when we walk. You smile at me more. I feel the spark between us every single day, and even if you are not consciously aware of it, subconsciously you are."

Jane was left speechless. She sought him in bed (she decided to ignore the 'our bed' bit)? Well, there were times when they woke up and she had her head on his shoulder or chest. Or her arm was flung across him or she was cuddled up beside him.

Okay, well, that was just because she was sharing a bed with someone. It might not be singular to Loki.

Then there was the leaning…she leaned into him when they walked? And yes, she supposed she did smile more. She had to. She had to convince him she was falling – or at least not resisting this kidnapping any longer.

"Jane."

She started when she realized that Loki was now sitting next to her. He smiled easily and drew her face to his. "We can kiss if you want to," he murmured.

She licked her lips and met his green eyes. "Okay," she murmured.

All this time she had expected to feel nothing. She had felt nothing – certainly none of what he was suggesting she felt. But the kiss? It was amazing. His lips were soft, but his kiss firm and passionate and smooth and oh God, was that her moaning? Yes, yes it was. And now her arms were moving and wrapping around his neck.

This wasn't just a kiss. This was a full-body awakening.

Jane turned her head away. "No."

"Yes," Loki whispered and drew her mouth back to his.

Jane felt as though she was drowning, and though every instinct told her to fight against it, to stop this, to turn her head and get back on solid ground, she found she lacked the will. So she gave up, and let Loki take her under.

Hours later as they lay in bed, him asleep and Jane staring up at the cave, she found herself awed by the fact that he didn't take her. All he did was kiss her. Again and again and again until she could no longer feel her lips.

It had been enough to completely ruin her.

xxxxxxxx

Now that Jane had been stupid enough to introduce kissing to their repertoire, Loki couldn't seem to get enough of it. He kissed her all the time. Held her in his arms. She kept telling herself that she had to do this to convince him she was falling. She kept telling herself that any warm feelings she felt for him, anything remotely sexual, was just Stockholm Syndrome and the fact that he had been her only company for…God, how long had it been now? One month? Two? She was just feeling desperate. That's all it was.

It was difficult to tell herself this though when her body ached for him to fill her. When she found herself thinking how cute he looked when he smiled at her. When he would read to her at night and his deep voice did things to her.

It was especially hard when she found herself initiating kisses and touches.

One night as they stood together on the beach, Loki behind her and holding her against him with his lips pressed against her temple, Jane started to cry. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be an act. Pretense. She was supposed to feel nothing.

"Jane?" Loki asked worriedly. "Jane, my sweet, what is wrong?"

She broke down in his arms, sobbed into his chest. Jane had her PhD in science. She had been exalted as 'brilliant' by her professors in school and her colleagues at work. She was a smart woman; she had tamed one God…

And had apparently made another fall in love with her.

She realized then that the very fabric of her life had unraveled. Everything she thought she knew was crap. She knew nothing. Nothing.

"Jane?" Loki urged.

Jane looked up at him. "Will you make love to me?" she asked.

He looked surprised at first and then confused. "But – why do you cry?" he asked.

"Because I want you," she said and pushed at the thin fabric of his shirt that he'd taken to wearing.

She did want him, but she also wanted to get him out of her system. Whatever this was had to be cured. She wanted to feel the lust and warm feelings he produced in her and forget that she knew this was wrong and she must have lost her mind because kidnapping was wrong and you couldn't make someone fall in love with you…

He took her to their bed and laid her down. He kissed away her tears. He divested her of her dress. He worshipped her body, kissing every part of her. Touching every part of her. He murmured his love to her over and over and when they were joined and moving together as one, he chanted her name like a prayer.

When her crises came, it was his name on her lips, screamed to the heavens.

In the morning, awakened by the sound of thunder echoing loudly in the cave, Jane awoke with a start and found Loki looking at her worriedly. More than worried. Terrified. He gripped her hand and looked at her pleadingly.

"LOKI!" came Thor's shout that shook the cave they dwelt in.

Jane squeezed Loki's hand tightly. "I won't let him harm you."